Modest Dressing in Islam!!

Firstly the matter of dress. A Muslim woman may wear whatever she pleases in the presence of her husband and family or among women friends. But when she goes out or when men other than her husband or close family are present she is expected to wear a dress which will cover all parts of her body, and which should not reveal the figure. This is in total contrast with Western fashions which every now and then concentrate quite intentionally on exposing yet another erogenous zone to the public gaze! In the past few years we have seen the rise and fall of the minidress, the micro-skirt, the wet look, hot pants, the see-thru', the topless and other garments designed to display or emphasize the intimate parts of a woman's body. One may observe a similar tendency of late in men's dress which has become almost skin-tight, although here the men's fashion designers appear to have come to a temporary standstill until men are liberated enough to accept topless or see-thru' trousers, which is fortunately not yet the case.

The intention of Western dress is to reveal the figure, while the intention of Muslim dress is to conceal it, at least in public.

The relevant verse of the Qur'an says:

"O Prophet, tell your wives and daughters and the women of the believers to draw upon them their over-garments. That is more appropriate so that they may be recognised and not molested" (33:59).

It is therefore required for a Muslim woman when she goes out to wear a dress that covers her from head to foot and does not reveal the figure. According to some scholars only the hands and face should be left uncovered, while according to some others the face should also be covered. There are therefore two opinions on this matter.

The onus of modest behaviour however falls not only on women. The injunctions of the Qur'an are directed to men and women alike. Allah says:

"Tell believers to avert their glances and to guard their private parts; that is purer for them. Allah is Informed about anything they do. Tell believing women to avert their glances and guard their private parts and not to display their charms except what (normally) appears of them. They should draw their coverings over their bosoms and not show their charms except to their husbands . . . ." (24:30-31).